Graham excited to be back in Buffalo

Sunday

Jul 27, 2014 at 9:00 AM

Corey Graham grew up in Buffalo and signed with the Bills this past offseason

PITTSFORD — Growing up in Buffalo in the 1990s, Corey Graham rooted for the Bills and idolized players like Steve Tasker and Thurman Thomas. He frequently attended home games with his uncle, who was a season ticket holder.

While Graham played at Ralph Wilson Stadium in recent years as a member of the Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears, he will finally get the opportunity to come out of the tunnel in a Bills uniform this season. The 29-year-old signed with Buffalo in the offseason.

“I'm a Bills fan and I've been one my whole life, so it's great to come back here and play,” the cornerback said.

Graham graduated from Turner Carroll High School and went on to start all 42 games over four years at the University of New Hampshire. The Bears took the cornerback in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft.

After contributing on special teams as a rookie, Graham had a breakout year in 2008 where he started nine games at cornerback. He also played in all four phases of special teams and finished with 91 tackles, eight passes defensed and an interception.

In Graham's next three seasons with the Bears, he only received one start — but made the Pro Bowl as a special teams player in 2011.

The cornerback signed with the Ravens prior to the 2012 season and played a key role in the team's Super Bowl win. Graham played in every game, starting the final eight regular-season games and all four post-season games. In a playoff win over Denver, Graham intercepted Peyton Manning twice — one he returned 39 yards for a touchdown and the other came in overtime.

Last year, Graham started five games and led Baltimore with a career-high four picks. In the Bills' Week 4 win over the Ravens, Graham recorded nine tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a pass defensed.

“I had an opportunity to play with a bunch of great players and great defenses,” Graham said. “You just try to take things from there and bring it over — run to the ball, being physical, things of that nature.”

Despite losing safety Jairus Byrd to New Orleans in free agency, the Bills appear to have a strong secondary. Free safety Aaron Williams tied for the team lead in interceptions last year and Da'Norris Searcy made some big plays in his seven starts. Starting corners Stephon Gilmore and Leodis McKelvin are both back and Nickell Robey proved to be a good player in the slot. It's unclear how Graham will fit into the equation, but the veteran is strong in coverage and run support.

Part of the reason Buffalo signed Graham is because of his special teams background. The Bills struggled to cover and return kicks last season.

“By bringing in special teams guys like me and Boobie (Dixon) and people that can do it, that's only going to help the special teams units,” Graham said. “You need more guys that can help out in any way that they possibly can and stop those guys from getting big returns against us. We've just got to be physical and we should get it done.”

Having played in Baltimore and Chicago, Graham knows what a winning team looks and feels like. He believes the Bills have the potential to turn things around this year.

“There are guys that can go out and make a lot of plays and we've just got to get together and be on the same page,” Graham said. “We've got a bunch of talent on defense and even on offense we've got a bunch of speed out there — some receivers and running backs that can fly. When you have playmakers like that you give yourself a chance to win games in this league.”